Photography Exhibition was launched of the story of Puchki and her dog Cookie on Tuesday, 1st March at the Italian pavilion of Kolkata International book fair in the esteemed presence of Mr. Gianluca Rubagotti, The Consul General of Italy in Kolkata. Keeping in mind of the positive response received for Puchki and Cookie’s first venture into Italy, a new
series that follows Puchki and Cookie in an imaginary conversation with Dante Alighieri was created as a part of commemorating 700 years of Dante’s death. It involved a local artist, Upal Sengupta, the lead singer of Chandrabindu band, who was very happy to adapt his characters of the young girl Puchki and her dog Cookie to create stories with an Italian flavour.
This began with the publishing of two articles in Kolkata’s most widely circulated publication on two separate days. Following the positive reaction, it was decided to go a few steps farther, first by publishing a calendar, and then by organising an exhibition at the Kolkata Police Museum. The purpose of the Puchki illustration is to reach out to a larger audience and pique interest in Italian culture and lifestyle among individuals who love Italy and believe in the link between Italy and parts of India. Puchki’s discovery of the life and work of Dante Alighieri, the father of the Italian language, will be documented in the calendar for 2022. The two stories of Puchki and Cookie displayed at the Kolkata International Book Fair.
While addressing the media, Mr. Gianluca Rubagotti, the Consul General of Italy in Kolkata said, “We were pleased to announce a new series that follows Puchki and Cookie in an imaginary conversation with Dante Alighieri, which was created to commemorate 700 years of Dante’s death. The underlying concept was to utilize a different medium (comic strips) and some contents which could appeal to a younger demographic. We decided to go a couple steps forward after receiving such good responses, first by publishing a calendar, and then by organising an exhibition at the Kolkata Police Museum. Puchki is now an illustration to reach out to a broader audience and instill interest about Italian culture and life-style for individuals who love Italy and believe in the connection between my country and this area of India.”
